Chapter 89 [VIP]
"Qingyan!" The old man almost fainted as his vision went black.
Chen Qinghuai and Chen Qingsong were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they couldn't even cry while supporting their master.
Chen Guangxian reacted quickly, rushing forward to move the roof beams and clods of earth. Ershun also quickly stepped forward to help. The group dug and shouted as they went, and soon Chen Qingyan's voice came from inside.
"I'm fine, my foot is just stuck in the wood, can you help me lift the beam?"
Chen Qingsong burst into tears, "Big brother, you scared me to death!"
Several people worked together to lift the roof beam, and Chen Qingyan successfully crawled out. Apart from his clothes being a little dirty, he didn't even have a scratch.
Old Liang was so excited to see that he was alright that he burst into tears. Although he was strict with his children, he had always loved them as his own sons. If Qingyan had been injured or killed, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life!
Chen Qingyan said, "When the roof beam collapsed just now, I happened to be next to the clay statue. The wood hit the clay statue and absorbed the force, so it didn't hit me very hard."
"Go and pray quickly, may the gods protect you."
Chen Qingyan knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times solidly before the group continued their journey.
Perhaps due to the long journey and the shock, Liang Boqing developed a high fever halfway through the trip.
He was already old, and this illness came on suddenly, making him delirious with fever.
The group was terrified and quickly told Chen Guang to change course and go to the nearest county town for medical treatment.
The nearest county was called Sima County. We arrived there just before dark. Once inside the town, we found a nearby clinic and took the person there.
The doctor used acupuncture and scraping to bring down Old Liang's fever, and then prescribed several doses of herbal medicine. He said that Old Liang could not continue his journey for the next few days and that he needed to take good care of his teacher.
The group settled into an inn in the city, where Chen Qingyan, Qinghuai, and Qingsong took turns attending to the patient. They served water and medicine, and each did a very good job.
Illness comes like a landslide and goes like a slow, drawn-out process. It took seven or eight days for Old Liang to recover, but his complexion was still not good, and his temples had grown quite a few more white hairs.
Chen Qingyan originally wanted him to rest for a few more days before leaving, but Liang Boqing couldn't stay any longer. The original plan was to arrive in Laizhou in May, but now it's already mid-June. If he delays any longer, how will he get to Yangzhou?
The group continued their journey south, and thankfully, they did not encounter any more torrential rain in the following days; the occasional rain was light.
On June 18, the group finally arrived in Laizhou City.
Laizhou is a coastal city with well-developed sea transportation, allowing goods from the south to be transported by ship, making it more prosperous than inland cities.
Seafood vendors of all kinds could be seen everywhere in the city, selling crabs, shrimps, sea snails... Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong had never seen these things before, let alone eaten them.
Chen Qinghuai was familiar with the area, having grown up there. Chen Jing, who had served as the governor of Laizhou for six years, knew the place intimately. He introduced it to the group as they rode in the carriage.
"This street is called Changping Street. It's lined with shops all over the place, selling everything! The crab roe buns at Jinji Soup Dumplings up ahead are absolutely amazing. I'll take you there to try them sometime!"
Upon hearing about food, Chen Qingsong couldn't sit still any longer. "What are crab roe buns?"
"Crab roe is the roe of a female crab, and it's the sweetest and most delicious part. Mid-August is when the crab roe is at its fullest. We extract the crab roe and crab meat, add pork, water chestnuts, scallions, and ginger to make the filling. The dumpling skin is as thin as a cicada's wing, and one bite fills your mouth with a fresh and savory flavor that lingers on your palate."
Several people swallowed hard after hearing his description.
Liang Boqing tapped him with his fan, "Don't just think about food. In a few days, I'll send you to the prefectural school. All your classmates and old friends will be there. Don't let them outdo you."
Chen Qinghuai stuck out his tongue. "Okay."
Chen Guang drove the carriage directly back to Old Master Liang's residence. The residence was not large, with only two courtyards. Previously, only Liang Boqing and two servants lived there, so it was quite spacious.
When the carriage arrived at the door, Chen Guang jumped off and knocked. After a short while, a middle-aged man came out and looked at him suspiciously, asking, "Who are you looking for?"
Liang Boqing lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Liang Bin, I'm back."
"Master is back!" Liang Bin smiled with delight and quickly opened the door.
The carriage entered the courtyard, and everyone got off. Chen Qingyan looked around and saw that although the courtyard was not large, it was very elegant, with three main rooms and two side rooms. Bamboo was planted in the courtyard, which was lush and lovely.
Liang Boqing said, "Let's go inside and rest for a while. Liang Bin, tidy up the west room and add a bed. Later, I'll have Liang An go out and buy some food."
"yes."
Two servants went out to work, while everyone else sat on chairs to rest.
After traveling for more than twenty days, I was exhausted, but now that I'm at my teacher's house, I can finally settle down.
Liang Boqing began to arrange matters for the next few months. Tomorrow, he would first go to the prefectural school to settle his three apprentices in, and then take some time to visit old friends.
As I've gotten older these past few years, especially after learning of the passing of several friends when I visited Jizhou Prefecture, I've become increasingly nostalgic for those old folks, knowing that each meeting with them is one less I'll ever see.
At noon, Liang An bought back six dishes, all of which were specialties of Laizhou. "Gentlemen, you have come from afar, please try the flavors of Laizhou."
"Thank you," Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong said.
Chen Qinghuai was much more easygoing. He had been following Liang Boqing since he was eight years old and was extremely familiar with Liang An and Liang Bin.
"Uncle An, did you buy me some fried yellow croaker?"
"I bought it, I bought it. How could I forget when I knew Young Master Huai loved this?"
"Hehe, that's great, Brother Yan, Brother Song, you guys have to try it. This little yellow croaker is best eaten while it's hot. It's fragrant and crispy with every bite, and even the bones inside are fried until crispy."
"Aren't we going to eat together with the teacher?"
Liang An smiled and said, "Master has finished his scallop porridge and is resting. You may eat."
Chen Qingyan called Chen Guang and Ershun in to eat together, but the two refused to sit at the table no matter what. So he had to set aside some of each dish for them to eat in the side room.
These small yellow croakers are really delicious. Each fish is only the size of an index finger, coated with a thin layer of egg liquid, and deep-fried in hot oil until golden and crispy. They are also sprinkled with fine salt and pepper. One bite is truly a mouthful of fragrance.
Whenever he ate something delicious, Chen Qingyan couldn't help but think of Wang Ying and his son. He planned to secretly save some and bring it to the experimental field for them to try that evening.
Besides deep-fried yellow croaker, there is also steamed flounder, which looks so strange that people dare not eat it.
Chen Qinghuai said, "Try this, it's good stuff!"
Chen Qingsong picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and exclaimed, "Mmm! What kind of meat is this? It's so soft and smooth!"
"This is called flounder. It's caught from the sea, and it's quite expensive!"
Because fishing was inconvenient in ancient times, and the sea was rough, this type of fish could not be caught often.
A flounder can sell for two strings of cash, and if you take it to a restaurant and cook it properly, the price will be even higher, at least three strings of cash.
Upon hearing how expensive it was, the two were both astonished, finding it far too extravagant.
Standing to the side, Liang An smiled and said, "We usually can't bear to eat like this, but since it's your first time here, the master specially ordered that a flounder be bought for you to try."
A warm feeling welled up in Chen Qingyan's heart, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Elder Liang was truly like a father to them.
After dinner, the house was tidied up. The east room was the old man's bedroom, and a wooden bed was added to the west room, which was just enough for the three of them to sleep in.
They won't be staying here for long. Once they've packed up, they'll be heading to the prefectural school tomorrow. They'll be eating and sleeping there and studying until the end of August before leaving.
While the three of them were taking a nap at noon, Chen Qingyan took the opportunity to go into the experimental field, put the small yellow croaker wrapped in oil paper on the stool, and left a note for Wang Ying, telling him that he had arrived in Laizhou City and that the three brothers would be staying together for the next few days, but they probably wouldn't have time to meet at night.
When Wang Ying came in that evening, she immediately noticed the paper package on the stool. After opening it, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Qingyan is really interesting; even when he's eating small fish, he always makes sure to bring some for him to try.
Even when it cooled down, the small fish tasted alright, fragrant and crispy like a snack. In her previous life, Wang Ying had eaten this kind of fried yellow croaker; it was a common side dish with drinks in restaurants. This was indeed the first time she had eaten it in this life, and she quite missed it.
They opened the note and read it word by word. Seeing that it said they had arrived in Laizhou Prefecture, they felt a little relieved.
They should have arrived in Laizhou a week ago, so why are they so many days late? Something must have happened during that time, but he can't come in right now, so Wang Ying has no way to ask.
After adjusting the weather in the experimental field, I picked some grapes and cherries and went out.
Wang Ying is currently writing a book. He plans to record the knowledge he gained in college, fearing that he might forget it if he doesn't use it for a long time.
Ever since giving birth to Yuanbao, he has felt that his memory is not very good. He can't remember many things he just said.
My aunt said this is normal; pregnancy makes you stupid for three years, and she was like that after giving birth to Lin Qiu and Lin Sui.
Wang Ying didn't want to forget all the knowledge she had learned. Although these things might not be of much use now, they might benefit the people in the future.
Wang Ying was not good at classical Chinese, so she used plain language to narrate, starting with the seeds.
Not only did she describe the structure of the seed in detail, but she also included simple pictures. Wang Ying first drew the approximate shape on scrap paper with a charcoal pencil, and then copied it onto the book, labeling each part with its name.
After finishing the drawing, I picked up my pen and began to write: The wheat seed is a semi-winter variety, medium-early maturing, with upright seedlings and broad, lanceolate leaves...
This is a huge project, and it is estimated that it will take half a year to record all the agricultural knowledge.
Wang Ying wrote until late at night before putting down her pen, rubbing her sore shoulders, blowing out the lamp, and going to bed to rest.
*
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Chen Qingyan and the other two were woken up.
Liang Boqing is going to take them to the prefectural school.
Yesterday afternoon, Liang An took the three of them to the street to buy daily necessities: a wooden basin for washing their faces, wooden clogs for bathing, a boar bristle toothbrush, and a face towel.
On the way, Liang Boqing repeatedly instructed, "When you arrive at the prefectural school, listen to the teacher, get along well with your classmates, and don't quarrel. But it's not okay for others to bully you. The headmaster of the prefectural school is Cai Tingjun's disciple, and I am a close friend of Cai. If anything happens, we are not afraid of them."
"Okay." The three nodded in agreement.
"Ask me anything you don't understand. Although those old scholars are not as talented as me, they are a little better than me at the imperial examinations. Don't waste this opportunity."
"knew."
Old Master Liang was still a little worried, so he reached out and touched Qingsong's head, saying, "The academy has two days off every ten days. When you have time off, I'll have Liang An pick you up and take you home. I'll cook you something delicious."
Chen Qingsong's eyes were slightly red. He rubbed his hand against his master's. He was only six years old when his father passed away, and he had almost forgotten what his father looked like.
Now, being by Mr. Liang's side, I am experiencing the long-lost fatherly love.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com